It's Just A Story
by Synchronize
Summary: Ace's veiw point about taking care of Luffy all by himself. Brotherly love in a way, not yaoi.


_**Okay okay, I wrote this story when i should have been finishing up my edits on my Edit-tee person (NotSoCharmingPrince). He's going to kill me when he sees this (okay maybe not). Still, this was a plot bunny that just wouldn't die no matter how many nukes Abe Lincoln fired at it. But eventually I got to writing thins and it killed the plot bunny thus successfully killing it and my writer's block. Killing two birds with one stone is so much fun, metaphorically speaking. **_

_**So yeah...**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own nada of One Piece, if I did it would be crappy and no one would like it and it just wouldn't have an ending at all, much less a good ending.**_

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"It's just a story Luffy," I tried to console Luffy as he hiccupped into my chest, he was crying because he had a nightmare about the stupid scary story I told him before bed. I never should have told it too him, I knew I was setting myself up for this, but I told him anyway. I woke up three hours later to him screaming in his sleep and having him retell, or mostly sob, the whole story to me. I'm sitting on his bed with him in my lap and he's still crying, damn I'm a horrible older brother.

"Hey, Luf, calm down okay, I'm right here bro…" Luffy's hiccups subsided after a few minutes as we rocked back and forth. He calmed down completely after a few more minutes and was leaning heavily on me. I moved him around on my lap so his back was to my chest, his face was still very much wet. I draped one arm across his tiny chest and placed the other on top of his head.

"Ace… That nightmare… it was-" Luffy started but I cut him off.

"Listen Luffy, it was just a nightmare and what you dreamed of… I promise you it's never gonna happen, I won't leave you Luf." I didn't mean to sound harsh, and I really hoped he didn't take it like that but it seemed to work.

"Okay Ace, sorry for waking you…" Luffy mumbled and tried to get out of my lap but I held him tight.

"Don't worry Luffy, what are brothers for?" I smiled down at him even though I knew he couldn't see me in the dark. Luffy stayed there resting against my chest and we enjoyed the silence of the night. Then I started to think about things I normally try not to think about.

I thought about dad, how he had left us when Luffy was barely one year old. I still hate him for that, I don't care that he's a pirate, you don't do that to your family. I thought about mom, how she tried to keep up with Luffy and I and how sick she constantly was. I wasn't a very good brother at that time, I never hurt Luffy of hated him for being born but I still wasn't a very good brother.

I hate myself for that.

I never stayed to help my mom, I was always running around with my friends and playing, never helping with the house work and such. I can feel my stomach churn as I think about these bad feelings. Luffy's still cradled in my lap as well and the stars outside are shining dully. I never helped mom and she got sicker and sicker, she still did her best to keep up with Luffy and I can never hate her, I can only hate myself.

But then Luffy would say hate is a strong word. He learned that from Shanks. I don't particularly like Shanks but he's an okay father figure for Luffy, much better than our real dad. And then I think of dad again and how he left and how unhelpful I was. Dang I feel sick.

When Mom left, when she died, Luffy still didn't fully understand everything and that was okay, I didn't understand much either then. After the funeral Grandpa came and tried to take care of us the 'Marine Way'. I still never listened but I did what I was told because I was trying to protect Luffy. I've always been trying to protect Luffy ever since Mom died. I guess when you're the oldest and the only one left who really cares you kinda grow up faster.

I knew I grew up faster than my friends, they come out and ask me why I can't play much anymore. The main reason is that Gramps keeps me busy, but sometimes the reason is because I tried to take care of Luffy when gramps thought he was 'toughening him up'.

I hate Gramps too I guess, well mostly really dislike, but he was Gramps and I hate to admit it but he needed to be there. If it wasn't to take care of us it was to help us learn to take care of ourselves. I grew up really fast then, Luffy was barely 5 and he was thrown in the woods for two hours and I had to go after him when Gramps wouldn't.

I sometimes dislike being the oldest; I don't like having all this responsibility of taking care of a little kid like Luffy. But it really pays off at the end of the day. Luffy has this thing about him when he smiles. His smile is like some kind of sunshine in the form of skin and lips and teeth. It brings some kind of peace over me, making me feel like I'm doing my job as an older brother and taking good care of him. Like I'm repaying my mom for all those years I didn't help her out.

Luffy's head lolled against my arm that had snaked it's way to his shoulder. He's asleep and I look at the sky outside and the stars have changed positions. It must be really late and I need to get some sleep so I can go to work for Makino tomorrow. I gently shove Luffy out of my lap then situate him under his blankets and head off to my room. My thoughts are keeping me up though. Why am I thinking about these things?

And then I think…

I guess when you're the oldest you grow up faster because when you have a younger sibling you want to make sure they have a good life. So you take charge and try to make the best out of the life you have to make their life better in the future.

I lay my head to rest upon my worn pillow and snuggle up under the blankets. Luffy's little snores reach my ears as I drift off to sleep and I smile knowing that I've done a good job as a brother so far.

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_**SO yeah, thank you for reading what the plot bunny forced me to write. No I'm not kidding the plot bunny jumped out of my head with a hand gun and threatened to shoot me if I didn't write this. But thankfully with my awesome writing skills that I suddenly developed while scared pants-less I was able to distract the bunny and boot him out of my house so he can go get eaten by the rabid foxes out there..... yeah I'm non-too-fond of bunnies at the moment.... can't you tell?**_

_**Anywho, critique if you want, I'm not really seeing anything much wrong with this, but then again we never see our own mistakes, so yes if you see one POINT IT OUT FOR EVER LOVING SAKES!!! **_

_**Thank you that is all**_

_**Oh and a shoutout to some awesome people; PAMPLEMOOSE!!!!! NOTSOCHARMINGPRINCE!!!!!! THEDOUBLEMINTTWINS!!!! THRIOR!!!**_

_**thank you all, you rock =D  
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